The science behind the dimension of Emotional Wellbeing
This dimension is about well-being. Even though this emotional state is often used synonymously with happiness, it primarily refers to the absence of negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness and depression. Better terms to describe well-being in its components are a general satisfaction with life, a general emotional balance and the feeling of social connectedness, as already explained in the “Social” dimension. Well-being is therefore very important, as it can also be essential for brain health.
This dimension is therefore about raising awareness of possible emerging depression and distinguishing it from sad emotions, as well as reinforcing well-being and promoting positive emotions and brain health. It is also very important to learn how to adequately deal with the various stressors that are present in our (working) world and to never forget to take care of yourself, your well-being and your (psychological) health.
- Boost your mood and reduce anxious thoughts
It is very important to pay attention to your mood and to be particularly attentive to negative emotions. In this regard, it is essential to distinguish the difference between a bad mood or sadness and depression. If it is sadness, it may be due to a difficult situation and should pass after a certain period of time (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). However, depression is a serious mood disorder that some people may experience over the course of their lives.
If you experience symptoms that interfere with your everyday life, such as impaired cognitive and emotional functioning, sleep problems, inability to carry out everyday activities and tasks and, in the worst case, a desire to die, you may be suffering from depression. It is very important to contact a doctor or psychological specialist as soon as possible (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023).
Also, if you know someone who is showing signs of depression, it is important to understand that this is a real illness. You should support the person as much as possible and encourage the person to seek help from professionals (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). People affected by major depression also mention recognising their depression, taking their symptoms seriously and actively seeking professional treatment as important points (Van Grieken et al., 2014).
Attention should also be paid to so-called seasonal affective disorder (Cajochen, 2007). For example, natural light is often insufficient for people in northern regions in autumn or winter, which can also lead to depressed mood, reduced interest and concentration, lower energy, impaired sleep behaviour, weight changes and changes in (social) activity (Avery et al., 2001; Cajochen, 2007). Overall, it has been shown that natural light can be very important for mental health and general well-being at work, which is why daylight lamps are recommended (Escuyer & Fontoynont, 2001; McLaughlin, 2014). These can have an influence on well-being and the circadian system, which can counteract sleepiness, especially in the morning (Preto & Gomes, 2019; Cajochen, 2007). However, they can also have effects in the afternoon and evening by increasing wakefulness (Preto & Gomes, 2019; Avery et al., 2001). Overall, white light enriched with blue has proven to be particularly effective. For example, participants in various studies showed effects on subjective sleepiness/wakefulness, cognitive performance and concentration, hormone release, mood, evening tiredness and sleep (Viola et al, 2008; Münch et al, 2016).
It is also important to emphasise that everyone can also do something for themselves. Thus, self-management research is an important field to explore (Van Grieken et al., 2014; Lucock et al., 2007). It becomes clear that a large part of this research is based on cognitive behavioural therapy techniques (Lucock et al., 2007). For example, behaviour management and behavioural activation are often used to help people with mental health conditions, such as depression, to plan activities that are good for them and are consistent with their values, and to prevent those activities that are bad for them (Von Brachel et al., 2018; Veale, 2008). In fact, in the context of self-management, it also appears to be very important to structure one’s day and plan various activities (Van Grieken et al., 2014). This should prevent negative thought spirals from arising. By structuring your day, the start of the day can be very important and routines, for example, can help (Lucock et al, 2007; Di Gusto & Scherler, 2017). Overall, when planning, it is also important to stick to regular times for getting up and going to bed and to plan beneficial activities into the day, such as going for a walk (National Institute of Mental Health, 2023; Lucock et al, 2007). If you have difficulty getting up and thus impaired morning productivity, for example, an alarm clock with wake-up tasks can help you to get up on time, overcome sleepiness and help you to fulfil productive morning tasks (Oh et al., 2022).
However, it can still happen to fall into ruminating thoughts. For example, people tend to think about the past and worry about the future (Deyo et al., 2009). As rumination can be closely linked to impaired well-being and mental health problems, it is important to deal with rumination appropriately (Blanco-Encomienda et al., 2020; Olatunji et al., 2013). As it has also been suggested that ruminative thoughts may predict depression, mindfulness-based strategies for preventive intervention have been proposed as they appear to reduce rumination (Perestelo-Perez et al., 2017; Deyo et al., 2009). Therefore, it is important not to judge the thoughts and to perceive the present moment. This makes apparent that ruminating does not relate to the present moment and can lead to adaptive emotion regulation and reflection. By directing attention to the present moment, it is possible to remove the capacity to focus on ruminative thoughts and concentrate on reflections, which may make you realise that the thoughts are caused by poor sleep, for example (Blanke et al., 2020).
- Leisure activities to serve well-being and brain health
Depending on the kind of leisure activities, there may be better and worse activities for well-being. After work, many people tend to spend their free time doing a passive activity such as watching TV, which can have a negative impact on well-being (Wiese et al., 2018). In this category, various activities are mentioned that can be good for mental well-being and brain health.
Musical activities are the first to be emphasised here. Many studies have investigated various types of musical activity, such as listening to music, singing solo or in a choir (Clift et al., 2001; Schladt et al., 2017), songwriting and much more in a wide range of age groups in a variety of situations, and the results show positive effects on wellbeing, social processes and health (Dingle et al., 2021). Making music and playing an instrument has also been investigated as a protective factor against cognitive decline and the effects were found to be positive on attention, episodic memory and executive functions. In the study by Mansens et al. no correlation was found between the time spent playing music and the cognitive functions, which is why the researchers assume that playing music is helpful in itself, regardless of how often, and therefore recommend that at least once every fortnight could already be helpful (Mansens et al., 2018). Strong and Mast also compared the cognitive performance of active and former musicians with that of non-musicians. It became clear that both the active and former musicians showed better results in language and executive function. In one version of a stroop task, however, active musicians also performed better than former musicians. This made evident that musical activity can be beneficial over the course of life, but active musical activity could have further advantages (Strong & Midden 2020). Okely et al. also highlighted the positive long-term changes in general cognitive abilities associated with playing a musical instrument (Okely et al., 2022). It can therefore be very important to find the time to learn and play an instrument. Another musical activity that has been widely studied is dancing, which has been shown to have multiple positive effects on health. Dancing could improve emotional, physical, cognitive and social well-being (Quiroga Murcia et al., 2010; Zygmont et al., 2023). Dancing also appears to contribute to improved self-esteem and better stress management in non-professional dancers (Quiroga Murcia et al., 2010).
Furthermore, it is also very important for cognitive well-being that you find your ideal leisure activities. Carrying out leisure activities that challenge the spatial skills of the brain can have positive effects on the brain. This can include, for example, familiarising yourself with a new city or navigating a map while hiking. Interestingly, when comparing the MRI images of the brains of taxi drivers with MRI images of non-taxi drivers, Maguire et al. discovered that the taxi drivers had a significantly larger volume in the posterior hippocampus than the comparison subjects. It was also shown that the volume of the right hippocampus correlated with the amount of time the participants had spent as taxi drivers (Maguire et al., 2000).
Overall, cognitive leisure activities are also of great importance, as they can lead to a delay and reduction in the cognitive decline associated with ageing (Yates et al., 2016). For example, various mentally stimulating activities such as reading books, doing crossword puzzles or playing chess can potentially reduce cognitive decline after just four years (Cegolon & Jenkins, 2022). Ideally, however, the importance of physical activity in addition to cognitive activity should not be ignored, as this is associated with both mental and physical health (Huppert et al., 2005). It has also been shown that physical activity during leisure time appears to be associated with positive affect as well as life satisfaction (Wiese et al., 2018). In addition, physical activity can also make an essential contribution to cognitive functions and preventing age-related decline (Engeroff et al., 2019).
- Mindfulness
This category presents various mindfulness exercises which, according to scientific findings, can lead to increased well-being, improved emotional regulation and stress reduction. However, it is important to bear in mind that not everyone benefits equally from mindfulness and meditation practices. In particular, there may be differences between so-called state-oriented and action-oriented people. State-oriented people are characterised by the fact that under stress they tend to focus on past, present or future states rather than on possible courses of action, while action-oriented people tend to focus on their alternative courses of action under stress (Kuhl & Beckmann, 1994). A typical item to measure whether one is state-orientated or action-orientated is: When I am told that my work has been completely unsatisfactory: (A) I don’t let it bother me for too long. (B) I feel paralysed (Kuhl, n.d.). In this case, a person with a strong state orientation would feel rather paralysed. However, mindfulness has often not been shown to be the ideal intervention for state-oriented people, as it can lead to alienation (Kaufmann et al., 2022). While silent sitting meditation would therefore not be ideal, a state-orientated person can try mindful walking or mindful eating.
In mindful eating, it is important to keep your awareness in the present moment and, when eating, to keep your attention fully focussed on the food (Albers, 2009; Khan & Zadeh, 2014). It is essential to stop eating on “autopilot” and in parallel with other activities such as watching TV or reading. Attention should be focused on the consistency and flavour of the food instead of being distracted by external factors while eating (Albers, 2009; Khan & Zadeh, 2014). Therefore, rather than focussing on external factors, attention should be placed on internal factors such as hunger and satiety (Shaw & Cassidy, 2022; Warren et al., 2017). Mindful eating can be very important as an intervention to prevent problematic eating behaviour, obesity and eating disorders and is linked to well-being (Khan & Zadeh, 2014, Shaw & Cassidy, 2022, Warren et al., 2017). Mindful walking can also have positive effects on mental and physical health and well-being (Davis et al., 2022, Gotink et al., 2016).
Otherwise, meditation, through which mindfulness is often practised, can also be an important activity, as it can counteract destructive thoughts and feelings of stress and thus promote psychological well-being (Sharma, 2006). In addition, studies also indicate possible positive effects of meditation techniques on cognitive abilities (Marciniak et al., 2014). Overall, it is about learning to focus your attention on the present moment and, for example, on breathing in and out consciously (Vijayaraghavan & Madhava Chandran, 2019). It is also important to be aware of your thoughts and feelings in an accepting way, but to let them come and go without judging them (Deyo et al., 2009; Davis et al., 2022). It has been shown that regular meditation can help to relax in a targeted manner and thus reduce mental stress and strengthen mental well-being (Vijayaraghavan & Madhava Chandran, 2019; Goyal et al., 2014).
However, there are various meditation approaches that can achieve different effects (Marciniak et al., 2014, Sedlmeier et al., 2012). For example, the body scan method is often used in addition to sitting meditation. This involves concentrating on breathing while at the same time being aware of your body from head to toe, including a wide range of physical sensations (Deyo et al., 2009, Gan et al., 2022). Although both techniques, as well as mindful yoga, also lead to an improved tendency to describe one’s own experience, deal better with rumination, have more self-compassion and psychological well-being, the body scan method is probably not effective enough as a stand-alone method to improve health-related events, but should still be used as an adjunct (Sauer-Zavala et al., 2013; Gan et al., 2022).
Various mindfulness and meditation exercises are now also available through digital support. Thus, more and more mindfulness-based interventions are being offered as apps. This makes it easier to be present and the exercises are accessible to everyone and, above all, at any time (Mrazek et al., 2019). For instance, there are breathing apps such as “Breathe”, which make it possible to pause briefly in stressful situations and calm down through breathing exercises, which can have a significant impact on mental and physical health (Kressbach, 2018). Mindfulness meditation programmes using an app have also proven to be effective in improving the mental well-being of employees. When comparing an intervention group that completed an average of 17 meditation sessions lasting up to 45 minutes over 8 weeks with a control group, significant improvements in well-being, stress, workload and perceived support at work were found in the intervention group. There was also a slight significant improvement in the systolic blood pressure measured by the intervention group themselves at work after the intervention (Bostock et al., 2019). However, it is important to be aware that for people with mental health problems, meditation can also exacerbate negative symptoms such as negative thoughts, which is why the use of meditation in these cases should ideally be discussed with a mental health specialist (Schlosser et al., 2019).
- Stress at Work and how to balance it
Working life can lead to increased stress and even burnout, which is why this dimension provides various recommendations on how to avoid or balance emerging stress. Firstly, in moments of stress, you can be aware that this can trigger various physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate. These reactions can be explained by the fight or flight response, whereby the brain reacts to the stressor in a matter of seconds and the body is prepared to fight or flight (Cannon, 1929). However, depending on its duration and intensity, this stress can lead to several negative physiological symptoms (Rusch, 2019). It has also been shown that people under stress have poorer attention to work tasks and complain of poorer cognitive abilities. In fact, the relationship between self-reported cognitive complaints and actual cognitive performance has been found in people with burnout (Linden et al., 2005). In addition, differences were found between the performance of stressed individuals compared to a control group in cognitive tests, although no statistical correlation was found between the level of stress perceived by patients and their neuropsychological test performance (Eskildsen et al., 2015). It is important to understand instead that feelings of stress are very individual and subjective and that these and the associated suffering can therefore differ from person to person (Rusch, 2019).
Stress can have both physiological and psychological effects, which is why attempts can be made to counteract it by recognising the body’s fight or flight mode. For example, workers can be trained in various mindfulness techniques such as mindfulness meditation, which can help them learn to regulate their attention and see their thoughts and feelings as temporary events without judging and reacting to them (Lomas et al., 2017). Various mindfulness and relaxation approaches are therefore being researched that can be used to deal with emerging stress. Mindfulness thus helps to have an attitude of acceptance and to change one’s attitude towards stress. On the other hand, various relaxation exercises can also be used. These induce relaxation, particularly on a physiological level, so that, for example, the heart rate can be regulated again. As both mindfulness and relaxation techniques can help to reduce stress, it is important that you decide according to your personal preferences and determine what is better for you (Loziak, 2022).
An increased level of stress can be expressed in different ways. For example, a wide range of physical symptoms can be caused by various occupational stressors. Gastrointestinal problems and sleep disorders in particular appear to be significantly associated with several stressors and occur frequently (Nixon et al., 2011). Sleep behaviour can also be an indicator of chronic stress. Thus, there appears to be a reciprocal relationship between stress and sleep, where work stressors and perceived stress may lead to difficulties in falling asleep and maintaining sleep, while difficulties in maintaining sleep predicted higher levels of work demands and perceived stress. Non-restorative sleep also predicts stress and may also be caused by stress. Therefore, a possible vicious cycle that can occur in this context (Garefelt et al., 2020). As these vicious circles are often difficult to break, they can lead to burnout or depression, which is very important to recognise and treat at an early stage (Iacovides et al., 2003). To prevent such a development, it can be very important to engage in self-care, which can include physical, psychological, health and spiritual activities. Overall, the aim is to learn to reduce stress through self-care activities before it is no longer possible to react appropriately to stressors and, in the worst case, before you develop a burnout (Hricová, 2019). However, if there is a strong work-related state of exhaustion, which is often accompanied by a depressed mood and nonspecific psychological and psychosomatic stress, these may be burnout symptoms that make it very important to actively seek and, above all, accept help (Salminen et al., 2015).
Some research is focusing on the rehabilitation of people after burnout, concluding that it is essential to get professional help and therapy first, and that support from the environment also plays an important role (Pijpker et al., 2021). It is also important to learn to pay more attention to the body and one’s own needs, to recognise stress symptoms and to develop and learn new strategies to better deal with future stressors instead of ignoring and denying possible symptoms (Salminen et al., 2015; Fjellman-Wiklund et al., 2010). In this way, you can learn to regain confidence in your own control over various situations and stressors, which is essential (Pijpker et al., 2021; Fjellman-Wiklund et al., 2010).
In order to both prevent and reduce stress, it can be very important to plan realistically and utilise effective time management. Various studies have shown that effective time management increases perceived time control. This refers to a feeling of control over time and having an overview of schedules (Häfner et al., 2015; Häfner & Stock, 2010). In addition to perceived time control, planning behaviour is also associated with job satisfaction and health (Claessens et al., 2004). When it comes to time management, setting goals, prioritising, structuring the working day and monitoring the achievement of goals and task fulfilment appear to be particularly important. In addition, the planning of a day already helps to achieve an increased sense of control (Häfner et al., 2015; Häfner & Stock, 2010). Outside of work, it is also important to plan activities that serve self-care in times of increased stress in order to prevent the risk of burnout (Hricová, 2019). However, it is not only planning and structuring itself that is important, but also planning for possible unexpected interruptions to avoid overwhelm and allow sufficient buffer time (Parke et al., 2018; Dmytryshyn & Goran, 2022).
However, it is important to know that sometimes it can even be effective to be in a lower mood during concentrated work. In fact, it has been found that a negative mood can improve memory performance andreduce judgmental errors. In addition, a bad mood at work can be motivational and improve (interpersonal) thinking strategies (Forgas, 2013). Knowledge of this can therefore possibly be used to explain why it can be natural to be in a bad mood at work. This makes it even more important to plan a better mood after work. For example, it can be very important to laugh together as well as to plan possible activities together (Wang et al., 2016; Endrejat et al., 2018). Active physical exercise also plays a major role as a self-care activity, which is very important for physical and mental health (Hricová, 2019; Huppert et al., 2005). Physical activity can promote health and productivity at work and lead to an increased good mood. These aspects can effectively reduce stress and balance the workload in terms of work-life balance (Khatri et al., 2022). In addition to physical activity, time spent in nature also plays an important role in general well-being, ideally combined with physical activity. Time spent in nature can increase resilience and lead to greater happiness. It can therefore be helpful to eat outside on a park bench or cycle through a park (Burns, 2005). In their study, Sianoja et al. also highlighted the important effects that can be achieved by spending time in nature during the lunch break. Thus, in a group of people that took a walk in the park during their lunch break for ten consecutive working days, a better concentration and less fatigue were achieved in the afternoon (Sianoja et al., 2018).
